Method and apparatus for binding paper



May 30, 1967 F. c. BOLICK, JR 3,321,785

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER Filed March 14, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 12 ii Fiji/C. Bel/icky; W A h4/J, BY: gon d g myw ATTORNE Y3 May 30, 1967 F. c. BOLICK, JR

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER 5 Sheets-Siheet 2 Filed March 14, 1966 IZVVENTOR. Bea C Bo/{cKJr g L QhWDL, BY:

ATTORNEYS May 30, 1967 F. c. BOLICK, JR

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER 5 Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed March 14, 1966 E S mm U Mb 2 a. t Qww Q wk. 0+

W [NVEJVTOR F ed C BolicKIJrt y 1967 F. c. BOLICK, JR 3,321,786

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER Filed March 14, 1966 [WENTOR 5&0 Boh'cl, Jr

ATTORNEYS 5 heets-Sheet 4 May 30, 1967 F. c. BOLICK, JR 3,321,786

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER Filed March 14, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet F [NVENT'OR 57.", 1 c BY: I

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,321,786 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BINDING PAPER Fred C. Bolick, .lr., Atlanta, Ga assignor to Lanier Electronics Laboratory, inc, Atlanta, Ga, a corporation of Georgia Filed Mar. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 534,226 Claims. (Cl. 11-1) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for binding together edges of paper, and more particularly relates to a portable machine for binding loose sheets of paper and the like into book or pamphlet form.

In the past, several machines have been devised that function to bind pages together at one of their edges to form books, pamphlets, etc.; however, these machines have been large, costly and function only on a mass production basis to produce an economical product. In todays commerce, it has been found practical to bind sheets of paper together at one edge to form a book when only a few books are required. This is especially desirable when assembling data emitted from a computer on a continuous sheet since the sheet can be folded in an accordion fashion and one of the edges of the stack of folds bound so that the continuous sheet is held in booklet form. Of course, the methods and machines previously utilized in the industry were incapable of performing on an economical basis so that small numbers of publications bound in such a manner were quite costly,

Accordingly, this invention comprises apparatus for binding the edges of stacked paper together in an expedient and economical manner, by providing a platform for stacking the paper, a vise element on said platform for clamping the stacked edge of paper together, a pivotal support plate for disposing the platform at an angle where an adhesive can be applied to the stacked edge of paper and subsequently pivoted to a second position where a heating element is disposed adjacent the stacked edge of paper and which heats the adhesive substance for a predetermined period of time.

Thus, it is an object of this invention to provide a book binding apparatus having a removable page stacking apparatus selectively positionable onto a pivotal support platform.

Another object of this invention is to provide a book binding apparatus wherein a plurality of page stacking platforms can be alternately disposed on a pivotal support platform so that while one stack of pages is being treated by the "book binding apparatus, other stacks of paper can be collected and positioned on a page stacking platform at a location remote from the book binding apparatus.

Another object of this invention is to provide a book binder that is functional to economically bind paper into books on a small scale that is eye appealing, space saving, and well designed to meet the economics of manufacture.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the book binder, showing the front, side and upper portion thereof;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of a book binder, showing the back, side and upper portion thereof;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the book binder showing its side panel removed;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view, taken in cross sec tion along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2, showing the internal features of the book binder;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the page stacking tray;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the gripping means of the page stacking tray, with parts broken away;

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the gripping means of the page stacking tray, with parts broken away.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the book binder 10 which comprises end frames 11 and 12, front panel 14 and back panel 15. The end frames 11 and 12 support side panels 16 and 17, respectively, the side panel 16 being apertured to accommodate the shaft 18. The front panel 14 and back panel 15 have their bottom portions 19 and 20, respectively (FIG. 4) connected to a bottom panel 21 by means of bolts 22, each bolt having a rubberized exterior portion forming a pad 24. The bolts 22 are positioned at the corners of the book binder so that the pad 24 supports the book binder at its corners. The bottom panel 21 extends the entire length and width of the book binder so that the bottom of the book binder is closed.

The side panels 16 and 17 are spaced from the interior surface of their respective frames 11 and 12 by means of the spacers 25 (FIG. 3) so that when the side panels are attached to the frames by means of screws 26 a space is maintained between the interior surface 28 of the end frames and their respective side panels.

A shaft 31) is pivotally mounted in the end frames 11 and 12 at each of its ends, the shaft terminating in the space between the end frames 11 and 12 and their respective side panels 16 and 17. A pivotal platform 31 is mounted at its midpoint on the shaft 30 so that it is free to pivot in the book binder 10. The pivotal platform 31 has an upper surface 32 which is substantially fiat and extends substantially the entire Width of the book binder 10. The pivotal platform 31 terminates at its end nearest the back panel 15 in an upwardly projecting flange 34 and at its front portion nearest the front panel 14 in a down wardly projecting flange 35. The sides 36 of the pivotal platform extend downwardly and define aperture 38 through which the rod 34 extends. The upwardly projecting flange 34 of the pivotal platform 31 defines a pair of the pivotal platform 31 defines a pair of apertures 39, and the downwardly projecting flange 35 has a hinge 40 extending across a substantial portion of the width of the platform.

A tamping tray 41 is pivotally attached to the pivotal platform 31 by means of the hinge 40 so that it can be positioned as shown in the solid lines of FIG. 4 or, alternately as shown in the broken lines of that figure. When the tamping tray 41 is rotated to the position as shown in the broken lines of FIG. 4, it is retained in this position by means of a magnet 42 which is attached to the pivotal platform 31 by means of the bolts 44.

The sides of the tamping tray 41 terminate in a pair of outwardly extending flanges 43 which are slotted at 43a. The flanges of the tamping tray support a pair of rollers 47 near the end thereof remote from the hinge 44 When the pivotal platform 31 is rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 51, and the tamping tray 41 pivots about its hinge 40, the rollers 47 will insure that the edge of the tamping tray does not scratch the elements of the book binder.

At each side of the book binder a lever mechanism 45 (FIG. 4) is rigidly attached to the shaft 18 in such a manner that rotation of the shaft 18 causes the lever 45:: to rotate therearound. Rotation of the lever 45a in this manner causes movement of the follower 4512, which is attached at one of its ends to the lever 45a by means of the bolt 46 and at the other end by means of the bolt 48 to the pivotal platform 31. Of course, when the shaft 18 is rotated by means of the handle 49 (FIG. 1) attached thereto outwardly of the side panel 16, a force is exerted by the follower 45b on the pivotal platform 31 which causes the pivotal platform to pivot about its rod 30. It can be seen that when the handle 49 is pivoted in the direction as indicated by the arrow 50 (FIG. 1), the pivotal platform 31 will rotate in the direction as indicated by the arrow 51 (FIG. 4).

A rod 52 (FIG. 4) extends through the downwardly extending side portions 36 of pivotal platform 31, entirely across the width of the pivotalplatform, and a handle 54 is pivoted on the rod 52. The handle 54 extends through a slot 55 formed in the upper surface 32 of the pivotal platform 31, and extends beyond the rod 52. The

rod 52 and the handle 54 are rigidly attached to each other so that rotation of the handle 54 causes the rod 52 to rotate in a similar manner. The handle 54 terminates in extension 56, which has connected by means of a bolt 58 a follower 59. The follower 59 extends from the handle 54 toward the front portion of the pivotal platform and is bent at 60 to form a leg 61. The leg 61 extends through a slot 62 which is formed in the upper surface 32 of the pivotal platform 31. The follower 59 is duplicated on the opposite side of the pivotal platform 31 and is moved by a connecting piece extending between the end of a follower near the back panel and rod 52 similar to the manner in which the follower 59 is connected to the rod 52 by the extension 56 of the handle 54. Of course, rotation of a rod 52 by means of the handle 54 also causes the connector, which is rigidly connected thereto, to move the follower corresponding to the follower 59 in manner similar to the movement of the follower 59.

The legs of the followers are connected to each other by means of a rod 65 extending across the width of the pivotal platform 31, on the upper surface 32 of the platform. Of course, rotation of the handle 54 about its rod 52 causes the rod 65 to move across the upper surface 32 of the pivotal platform 31, toward and away from the front portion of the pivotal platform near the front panel 14 of the book binder.

Levers 66 (FIG. 3) are attached to each end of the rod 18 in the space formed between the side panels 16 and 17 and the interior surface of the end frames 11 and 12, respectively. The levers 66 are attached to a follower 68 by means of a projection 69 connected to the lever 66 and projecting through a slot 70 extending in the follower 68. Slots 71 are formed in each of the side panels 16 and 17 and a rod 72 extends across the width of the book binder 10 and through the slots 71 of each of the side panels. The followers 68 are connected at their ends to the ends of the rods '72. Accordingly, when the shaft 18 is rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 59, the rod 72 will be moved through the slots 71 toward the front panel 14 of the book binder 19. The projection 69 of the lever 66 is connected by means of spring 73 to a retaining pin 74 which is inserted through an aperture (not shown) in the follower 68. This urges the follower to the left, as shown in FIG. 3, until the slot 70 abuts the projection 69. With this arrangement, when the lever 66 is rotated by means of the shaft 18 so that the rod 72 is located to the left side of its slots 71, as shown in FIG. 3, the rod 72 can be moved to the right side of the slot 71 without rotation of the shaft and lever 66 since the follower 68 will be moved over the projection 69 against the bias of the spring 73 by the projection 69 sliding through the slot 70. As is shown in FIG. 4, a heating unit 75 is located in the book binder 10 adjacent the front panel 14. The heating unit is elongated and extends substantially the entire length of the book binder 10 and comprises a reflector 76, an infrared heating element 77 and a protective grid 78. Of course, the reflector 76 is concave and solid while the protective grid 78 has a plurality of apertures extending therethrough so that the heat generated by the infrared generator 77 will be reflected from the reflector 76 through the apertures of the protective grid 78.

The book binder is electrically connected to a power source through the electrical cord 86 (FIG. 4). The elements of the book binder are connected in series; i.e., from the power source in series through the on-off switch 81 (FIG. 1), timer 82, and heating unit 75 (FIG. 4). With this arrangement, when it is desired to energize the heating unit 75, the operator merely flips the on-off switch 81 to its on position and rotates the timer 82, whereupon the heating unit 75 is energized. After a period of time as determined by the timer 82, the timer 82 opens the circuit to de-energize the heating unit '75. The light 83 merely indicates when the on-ofl switch is in on position.

A stacking tray 84 is constructed in a manner so that it can be positioned on the pivotal support tray 31. The stacking tray 84 comprises an upper surface 85 and downwardly extending side portions 86, a downwardly extending back portion 88 and a downwarly extending front portion 89. A pair of stanchions 911 are rigidly attached to and extend upwardly from the stacking tray 84, near the front portion 89, and a pair of positioning rods 91 extend outwardly from the back portion 88 in a direction substantially parallel to the upper surface 85 of the stacking tray 84. A series of pairs of apertures 92 extend across a portion of the upper surface 85 of the stacking tray 84, one aperture of each pair being threaded. The side portions 86 of the stacking tray 84 are slotted at 94 near the stanchions 96.

A stacking tray 84 can be attached to the pivotal support tray 31 by inserting the positioning rods 91 of the stacking tray 84 into the apertures 39 of the upwardly projecting flange 34 of the pivotal platform 31 and slipping the slots 94 of the side portions 86 of the stacking tray over the rod 65 of the pivotal platform 31. With this arrangement, the stacking tray 54 will be held from vertical movement by means of the positioning rods 91 extending through the apertures 39 of the pivotal platform 31, while sliding movement between the stacking tray 84 and the platform 31 will be prevented by the slots 94 grasping the rod 65.

An upright 96 is constructed to be attached to the upper surface 85 of the stacking tray 84, in the pairs of apertures 92. The upright 96 comprises a vertically disposed portion 98 and a horizontally disposed base portion 99. The base portion 99 has a pair of apertures 1111, these apertures being adapted to receive threaded screws therethrough that will extend into the apertures 92 of the stacking tray 84. Since one of the apertures of each of the pairs of apertures 92 is threaded, the screws inserted through the apertures 101 of the upright can be rotated so that the upright 96 will be securely attached to the stacking tray 84. Of course, the screw extending into the aperture of the pairs of apertures 92 that is not threaded will merely function as a positioning screw so that the upright 96 will be rendered immobile on the stacking tray 84.

A gripping element or clamp 105 is adapted to be mounted on the stacking tray 84 by slipping the same over the stanchions 91 The clamp 195 comprises a U- shaped frame 196, a rectangular pressure element 108, and a shield 109. The clamp 105 defines a pair of apertures 1111 at each of its ends of a size slightly larger than the stanchions 90 of the stacking tray 84 and spaced apart a distance equal to the distance between the stanchions so that the clamp can be positioned over the stanchions. A pair of floating levers 111 are disposed at each end of the frame. The floating levers 111 define apertures 112 and 113, the apertures 112 being disposed in alignment with the apertures 116 of the frame 106. A screw 114 is inserted through the base of the U-shaped frame 106, a spring 115 positioned over the threaded portion 116 of the screw 114, the aperture 113 of the floating lever being positioned over the threaded portion 116 of the screw 114, and a nut 118 being threaded over the end of the screw to contain both the floating lever 111 and spring 115 inside the U-shaped frame 106. A support 119 extends across the interior portion of the U-shaped frame, from its side portions, so that the spring 115 of the floating lever biases the floating lever against the support 119 and the nut 118 so that it is normally disposed in the position as shown in FIG. 7. Of course, the floating lever 111 is pivotal about the support 119 when the end 126 thereof that projects outwardly of the U-shaped frame 1% is lifted in the direction as indicated by the arrow 121. A second support 122 is disposed across the U-shaped frame 106 near its end portions so that the movement of the floating lever 111 in the direction of the arrow 121 is limited to the point where the floating lever 111 will be disposed exactly parallel to the upper surface of the frame 106, with the axis of the aperture 112 of the floating lever 111 being disposed coaxially with the axis of the aperture 111) of the frame 166.

With this construction when the clamp 1-35 is positioned over the stanchions 90 of the stacking tray 84; with the stanchions 91) extending through the apertures 112 and 110 of the floating lever 111 and U-shaped frame 106, respectively, the clamp 1195 can be moved downwardly over the stanchions since the force exerted thereon will tend to pivot the floating lever 111 about its support 119; however, if the clamp 105 is lifted away from the stacking tray $4 the floating lever 111 will tend to pivot about the nut 118-, thereby making the aperture 112 cffectively smaller to grip the stanchion extending therethrough. This tends to bind the floating lever 111 to the stanchion 90 so that movement upward of the clamp 105 is prevented.

A pair of adjusting screws 125 are inserted through apertures 126 in the U-shaped frame 1116 near its ends, and are threaded through a threaded support 128 attached to the frame 1%. The adjusting screw 125 is reduced in diameter at its end 129, the end 129 being inserted through the upper portion 130 of the rectangular pressure element 108. Washers 131 and 132 are disposed about the end 129 of the adjusting screw 125, the washers being disposed on either side of the upper portion 130 of the rectangular pressure element 133, and a cotter pin 134- being inserted through an aperture located in the end 129 of the adjusting screw 12S, thereby retaining the washers 131 and 132 and the rectangular pressure element 108 on the adjusting screw 125.

An L-shaped shield 109 is attached to the lower portion 135 of the rectangular pressure element 108 by means of screws 136.

With this arrangement, it can be seen that rotation of the adjusting screws 125 will cause the screws to move into or out of the frame 1% of the clamp 1115 and carry the rectangular pressure element 108 and its shield 109 with it. The rectangular pressure element 108 is tapered at 138 so that movement thereof in an upward direction by adjustment of the adjusting screws 1253 will not interfere with the floating lever 111 and its associated elements. Of course, the L-shaped shield 1119 has its vertically disposed portion 139 slidably displaced from the rectangular pressure element 118 so that while the rectangular pressure element 108 moves up into the interior portion of the U-sbaped frame 106 upon rotation of the adjusting screws 125, the vertical portion 139 of the shield 1119 will move up along the exterior surface of the frame 196. Of course, the leg of the U-shaped frame 106 will be accommodated by the space maintained between the vertical portion 139 of the shield 109 and the side of the rectangular pressure element 1108.

Operation When it is desired to bind the edges of a stack of paper together to form a book, pamphlet or the like, the lever 49 of the book binder is rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 50 of FIG. 1 so that the lever 45 (FIG. 4) pivots the support platform 31 about the rod 30 and the support platform 31 takes the position as shown in FIG. 4 with the tamping tray in its broken line position. A stacking tray 84 is then placed on the pivotal platform 31 by inserting the positioning rods 91 through the apertures 39 of the upwardly projecting flange 34 of the pivotal platform 31, and positioning the slots 94% of the stacking tray 84 over the rod 65 of the pivotal platform 31. The tamping tray 4-1 is then rotated about its hinge 40 to the solid line position shown in FIG. 4, and then the lever 49 is then rotated in the direction as indicated by the arrow 50 to pivot the support platform 31 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 51. As the lever 49 is rotated the rod 18 (FIG. 3) also rotates, and moves the lever 66 in the direction indicated by the arrow 50 to move the follower 68 and its rod 72 through the slot 71 to the left, as indicated in FIG. 3. The combined movement of the rods 72 in this manner together with the rotation of the pivotal support platform 31 and its tamping tray 41 causes the slots 43a of the tamping tray to engage the rod 72, which disposes the tamping tray 13 in exact perpendicular disposition with the upper surface of the stacking tray 84.

The upright 96 is then placed in its position on the upper surface 85 of the stacking tray 34 by inserting its screws 1111 and 102 into a pair of the apertures 92. Of course, the particular pair of apertures 92 selected will depend upon the size of paper being bound by the binding machine.

The paper to be bound is then placed on the stacking tray 84- with its edge to be bound disposed against the tamping tray 41 and one of the edges disposed perpendicular to the edge to be bound placed against the upright 96. Of course, if the paper to be bound is exactly the same size, its edges will be disposed in exact alignment when positioned on the stacking tray in this manner.

Clamp 125 is then inserted over the stanchions until it engages the top sheet of paper disposed on the stacking tray 84. After the clamp has been pressed against the paper, the adjusting screws 125 are then rotated to further move the rectangular pressure element 108 and the shield 109 into further engagement with the paper, thereby compressing the paper in the area immediately beneath the rectangular pressure element 108.. When the paper is compressed in this manner, the edges protruding from beneath the clamp 105, adjacent to the tamping tray 41 tend to flare out to some extent. That is, while the paper is compressed to a substantial extent immediately beneath the clamp 1115 the paper adjacent thereto in the space between the clamp tamping tray is not so affected.

After the paper has been aligned and clamped in this manner, the lever 49 is then rotated in a direction opposite to that indicated by the arrow 5t] so that the pivotal support platform 31 is disposed in a position as indicated in FIG. 4, thereby positioning the stacking tray 84 so that the edge of the paper to be bound together is directly genenerally upwardly. When the pivotal platform 31 is moved in this manner, the rod 18 moves its followers 68 and the rod 72 to the right, as shown in FIG. 3, so that the rod 72 is moved out of the way of the tamping tray 41. The tamping tray 41 is then free to pivot about its hinge 41) to the position as shown in the broken lines of FIG. 4, whereupon the magnetized element 42 will adhere to the tamping tray and maintain it in this position. This moves the tamping tray 41 out of the way so the operator of the book binder can then apply an adhesive substance to the edge of the papers to be bound together. It should be noted that the shield 109 of the clamp presents a smooth unencumbered surface adjacent the edges of the papers to be treated with the adhesive substance so that the elements of the clamp 105 will not be fouled by the adhesive substance when being applied to the edges of the paper.

After the adhesive substance has been applied to the edges of the paper, the lever49 is then rotated in the direction as indicated by the arrow 50 to rotate the pivotal platform 31 and the stacking tray 84 in the direction as indicated by the arrow 51 so that they take the position as shown in FIGS. 1-3. The on-off switch 81 is then moved to its on position and the timer 82 is then rotated to a position that will indicate the length of time the edge of the papers is to be heated. Rotation of the timer and movement of the on-off switch in this manner closes an electrical circuit to the heating unit 75 which heats the edge of the paper, thereby curing the adhesive substance.

After the heating unit 75 is automatically cut off by the timer 82, the clamp 1115 can be removed by merely lifting the floating levers 111 as indicated by the arrow 121 so that the frame 106 slides upwardly over the stanchions 90. Of course, the papers that have been bound together are then easily removed from the stack ing tray 84.

It is anticipated that various types of paper will be bound together by the book binder 10, and since various types of paper will flare different amounts when the pressure of the clamp 1115 is exerted thereagainst, it is desir- 'able to position the clamp closer to or further away from the edge of the paper that is to be bound together so that more or less flaring out of the paper can be attained. This is accomplished by manipulation of the handle 54 of the pivotal platform 31 (FIG. 4).

Movement of the handle 54 moves the followers 59, which in turn move the rod 65 over the upper surface 32 of the pivotal platform 31. Since the stacking tray 84 is positioned on the pivotal platform 31 by having its slots 94 inserted over the rod 65, movement of the handle 54 also moves the stacking tray 84 over the surface of the pivotal platform 31. Since the tamping tray 41 is attached to the pivotal platform 31, movement of the handle 54 causes the stacking tray 84 to be moved toward and away from the tramping tray 41. Thus, when the paper to be bound together is placed on the stacking tray 84, the stacking tray can be adjusted toward or away from the tamping tray 41; the paper being maintained in position by the tamping tray 41 while the stacking tray 84 moves beneath the paper. This movement positions the clamp -105 disposed on the stanchions 90 closer to or farther away from the edge of the paper that is to be bound. Since soft or porous paper may tend to flare out more when pressurized by the clamp 105, it would be desirable to position the stacking tray 84 closely adjacent the tamping tray 41 to attain proper flare of the paper in the binding operation, and when binding hard or dense paper, it would be desirable to move the clamp 105 farther away from the edge, thereby effectively flaring the paper more. Of course, it is desirable to have a certain amount of flare of the edges of the sheets of paper to be bound together so that the adhesive substance will be bound together so that the adhesive substance will be able to work its way in between the pages to a certain amount to insure that each of the sheets of paper are bound together.

While it has been found satisfactory to stack the paper on the stacking tray 84 as previously described, it may be desirable under certain circumstances to vibrate the stacking tray 84 to gain a more perfect alignment of the edges of the paper being bound. When this is desired the stacking tray 84 can be removed from the pivotal platform 31 and disposed on a special apparatus (not shown) to vibrate the paper. Of course, when it is desired to use this procedure, two stacking trays can be utilized in the procedure so that one tray can be placed on the book binder to apply the adhesive substance to the edge of the paper while the second tray is being vibrated on an adjacent machine. With this procedure, of course, a step of vibrating the paper does not tie up the binding machine and the two steps of vibrating and binding can be performed simultaneously.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations may be made in the embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustrating the present invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A binding machine comprising:

a cabinet having front, back, and side wall portions,

a heating element disposed within said cabinet adjacent said front wall portion,

a pivotal support platform having a front edge and a rear edge, said platform being pivotally supported near its center of gravity by said side Wall portions of said cabinet,

means for pivoting said support platform whereby its said front edge is selectively adjacent to or remote from said heating element,

a tamping tray pivotally connected to the front edge of said pivotal support platform, said tamping tray having a tamping surface,

means for positioning said tamping surface substantially normal to said pivotal support platform.

means for positioning said tamping surface beneath said pivotal support platform,

a stacking tray carried by said pivotal support platform,

clamping means adjustably connected to said stacking tray,

means for adjusting the distance between said clamping means and said tamping surface when said tamping surface i disposed substantially normal to said pivotal platform,

means for energizing said heating element for a predetermined period of time.

2. A binding machine comprising:

a cabinet including front, back and side wall members,

a heating element disposed within said cabinet adjacent said front wall portion,

a pivotal support platform including a front edge and a rear edge, said platform being pivotally supported near its center of gravity from said housing side 'wall members about a generally horizontal axis,

means for pivoting said support platform so that its front edge is selectively adjacent to or positioned above said heating element,

a stacking tray detachably connected to said pivotal platform, and

clamping means connected to said stacking tray for clamping paper to said stacking tray.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said support platform includes means for sliding said stacking tray over the upper surface of said support platform.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said support platform includes a tamping member pivotally connected to said support platform and pivotal to a position generally perpendicular to the upper surface of said support platform.

5. The invention of claim 2 wherein said pivotal support platform includes an upwardly turned flange along one of its said edges defining at least one aperture therein, and said stacking tray includes at least one positioning rod for registration with said aperture to hold said stacking tray on said pivotal support platform.

References fitted UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,146,473 9/1964 Hoff 111 3,261,044 7/1966 Hoff 11-1 FOREIGN PATENTS 675,983 7/1952 Great Britain.

LAWRENCE CHARLES, Prim'ary Examiner. 

1. A BINDING MACHINE COMPRISING: A CABINET HAVING FRONT, BACK, AND SIDE WALL PORTIONS, A HEATING ELEMENT DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CABINET ADJACENT SAID FRONT WALL PORTION, A PIVOTAL SUPPORT PLATFORM HAVING A FRONT EDGE AND A REAR EDGE, SAID PLATFORM BEING PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED NEAR ITS CENTER OF GRAVITY BY SAID SIDE WALL PORTIONS OF SAID CABINET, MEANS FOR PIVOTING SAID SUPPORT PLATFORM WHEREBY ITS SAID FRONT EDGE IS SELECTIVELY ADJACENT TO OR REMOTE FROM SAID HEATING ELEMENT, A TAMPING TRAY PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO THE FRONT EDGE OF SAID PIVOTAL SUPPORT PLATFORM, SAID TAMPING TRAY HAVING A TAMPING SURFACE, MEANS FOR POSITIONING SAID TAMPING SURFACE SUBSTRANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID PIVOTAL SUPPORT PLATFORM, 